The present invention relates to a pneumatic tire, more particularly to a tread pattern capable of improving the cornering performance in dry road surface conditions and the drainage performance in wet road surface conditions.
A pneumatic tire provided in the tread portion with an axially outermost shoulder main groove extending continuously in the tire circumferential direction, and shoulder blind grooves extending axially inwardly from the tread edge adjacent to the shoulder main groove and terminating without reaching to the shoulder main groove, has been disposed, for example, in PCT International Publication No. WO2012/026546.
In the pneumatic tire disclosed in this PCT International Publication, the shoulder blind groove is provided near an edge of a tread reinforcing belt with a part in which the groove bottom rises. Such part has a possibility of deteriorating the drainage of the shoulder blind groove. Further, near the axially inner end of the shoulder blind groove, the shoulder blind groove is deep, therefore, the rigidity of the tread portion is liable to become insufficient during cornering, and there is a possibility that the cornering performance in dry road surface conditions is deteriorated.